Librairie Dorbon-aîné:

An Inventory of Its Records in the Carlton Lake Collection at
the Harry Ransom Humanities Research Center

Creator:

Librairie
Dorbon-aîné

Title:

Librairie Dorbon-aîné Records

Dates:

1894-1954

Abstract:

The records chronicle
the work of Louis Dorbon's bookselling firm, which began in 1900, through
manuscripts and proofs of works published by Librairie Dorbon-aîné. Business
records and correspondence add additional information about the 20th century
French publishing firm.

RLIN Record #:

TXRC06-A15

Extent:

13 boxes (5.46 linear
feet)

Languages:

Material
written in English and
French.

Note:

We gratefully acknowledge the assistance of the Andrew W. Mellon
Foundation, which provided funds for the processing and cataloging of this
collection.

Repository:

The University of Texas at Austin, Harry Ransom
Humanities Research Center

Founded in 1900 by Louis Dorbon, Librairie Dorbon-aîné entered the
bookselling trade with a remarkable initial stock of 400,000 volumes. As both a
publisher and a bookseller, Librairie Dorbon-aîné contributed numerous
influential works to the early 20th century French literary scene. Louis Dorbon
chose the name Dorbon-aîné to differentiate himself from his younger brother,
Lucien Dorbon, who entered the bookselling business about one year after Louis
opened his Librairie.

The first works published by Librairie Dorbon-aîné were the serial
publications of
Petits Mémoires de Paris containing
etchings by Henri Boutlet and two works by Robida titled
les Vieilles Villes des Flandres and
Vieilles Villes du Rhin. Librairie
Dorbon-aîné thrived publishing the works of authors such as Xavier Marcel
Boulestin, Maurice Des Ombiaux, Claude Farrère, Camille Saint-Saëns, and René
Boylesve. Works by Jules Lemaître, Claude Debussy, Francis de Miomandre, and
comtesse de Noailles were also published by Dorbon-aîné.

Although Louis Dorbon described the founding of Librairie Dorbon-aîné
in 1900 in his article La Librairie Dorbon-aîné, the date Librairie Dorbon-aîné
actually closed is not documented. The firm actively published books between
1900 and 1939. One of the latest, if not last, books published by the Librairie
was available in 1949. Beyond 1949 no accurate record exists detailing the
closure of Librairie Dorbon-aîné.

Correspondence, handwritten and typed manuscripts, proofs of creative
works, music manuscripts, printed material, and financial, legal and publicity
records document the work of bookseller and publisher Librairie Dorbon-aîné.
The records are arranged in three series: I. Correspondence, 1894-1954 (5
boxes), II. Works by Authors, 1907-1939 (7.5 boxes), and III. Business Records,
1909-1932 (0.5 boxes). All materials within series are arranged alphabetically
by author and/or title except as noted below.

The bulk of the collection is comprised of Series II. Works by
Authors, which contains manuscripts of authors published by Librairie
Dorbon-aîné. Among the influential authors represented in these records are
Xavier Marcel Boulestin, Maurice Des Ombiaux, Claude Farrère, Camille
Saint-Saëns, René Boylesve, Lemaître, Claude Debussy, Francis de Miomandre, and
comtesse de Noailles. All stages of the publication process, as evidenced by
the presence of original manuscripts, proofs with corrections, and final
proofs, are well documented within the Librairie Dorbon-aîné records for some
works such as
Aspects sentimentaux du front Anglais
(1917) and
L'Amphitryon d'aujourd'hui: Introduction à la vie
gourmande (1936). Some unpublished works for musical projects are also
included in Series II. For example, two projects concerning Schumann and
Beethoven styled after
Trois Manuscript par Chopin were created
but never published. Most of the music manuscripts from Caplet, Schmitt,
Roger-Ducasse, and Debussy were acquired for a deluxe illustrated album on
contemporary French music that was envisioned but never produced. Also present
within Series II. are proofs of an unpublished article detailing the founding
of Librairie Dorbon-aîné by Louis Dorbon and a few pieces of correspondence
from Marc Pincherle, an associate of Librairie Dorbon-aîné.

Series I. Correspondence is subdivided into letters written and
received by the firm and a small group of personal correspondence received by
Louis Dorbon. This series documents the firm's business with authors and other
publishers. Notable correspondents include Maurice Darantière, Xavier Marcel
Boulestin, and Ernest Benn Ltd..

Series III. constitutes the smallest portion of the papers but
provides crucial information about the internal workings of the Librairie.
Included in this series are original designs for the Librairie Dorbon-aîné logo
and a dossier of subscription requests for Dorbon-aîné's elite book club, Les
bibliophiles fantaisistes.